Artificial Intelligence (AI) Good & Evil
God has created us with the ability to learn from past experiences, to think, understand, reason, learn, form action plans, solve problems, and make decisions. AI can help us do all this and much more effectively. If we remember that when Adam and Eve choose to eat from the tree of good and evil, they experienced both good and evil outcomes then it helps us realise AI is only a tool and, with no oversight, it too will produce both good and evil outcomes. It will develop fast because finance will ensure it, so safeguards need to be put in place by both governments and corporations to help AI bring about more good than evil. But what ones? Let’s see how AI can produce good results. It can help save time, create better outcomes, solve problems, improve teaching strategies, help doctors make better decisions, replace repetitive tasks, create new possibilities, improve customer experiences, learn from past experiences, adapt to changing circumstances or be used to help translate the Bible.
AI can provide solutions to often time-consuming and tedious tasks in home, factories, and agriculture and change the way we think about each of these activities. It could possibly help us view societal problems from a different perspective. Armed with AI is developing tools farmers can use to monitor field conditions and make strategic decisions for their whole farm or for a single animal or plant. But there’s a dark side. AI is not 100% trustworthy. It can degrade people. It is a tool, but as it develops further it might not be a neutral tool. Much discernment is needed. AI may develop some sort of self-directed agency and be a dangerous tool for creating and spreading misinformation or for targeting our most vulnerable—our children. AI has been used to produce deepfakes that are having a devastating effect on our youth. Deepfakes are images or videos created by AI that can superimpose a person’s face or body taken from their social media account onto a naked body. Girls have discovered that their innocent pictures taken from social media pages are superimposed onto a naked body, and then shared around on social media.
This leads to them feeling violated, depressed, or anxious. But even this technique can be used for good. It can change the appearance of the faces and the tone of the voices of Christian workers teaching about the Bible on internet in countries like India where Christianity is banned, and Christians are sent to prison. Changing the appearance of these evangelists protects them while not changing the truth of the gospel they are teaching. We also know that what Satan means for evil God can use for good (Gen 50:20) and as we walk this new path of AI, that our human pride can give way to greater childlike trust in the Lord and let us see more of “the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! (Rom 11:33)
Let’s pray:
*For the proper use of all AI technology and more oversight and regulation by governments about the way AI can be used for good and not for evil with safeguards built in.
*Thanking God for the wonderful ways that some are finding to use AI to spread, protect and reveal the Gospel and give us even more wisdom and insight.
* That believers will be involved with the development of AI in positive ways and with Godly wisdom as to how it can be better used.
“I Hold This Against You”
“Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.”
Revelation 2:4-5 (NIV)
Prayer Focus: Jesus revealed Himself to the Apostle John in a thunderous and magnificent way. With eyes blazing like flames of fire and a sharp two-edged sword coming from His mouth, Jesus spoke words of both comfort and warning. The presence of Jesus was so brilliant that John fell on the ground as though dead. The Coming King wanted a “course correction” in His churches! As Jesus addressed the churches, He had words of warning for some of them: “I hold this against you, so repent!” Many of the churches were doing good things in service to the Lord. He commended them for faithful endurance, speaking truth, guarding against evil, and doing good works. But they also displayed displeasing characteristics: loss of devotion to Christ, tolerance of sin, and ultimately being spiritually dead. Jesus made it clear: “I am the one who corrects and disciplines everyone I love. Be diligent and turn from your indifference” (Rev. 3:19, NLT). Jesus’ warning remains true to His Church until He comes again. Repent and be prepared for His return!
Please pray:
* Worship Jesus for His love for His Church.
* Confess to the Lord any ways that Christians have lost their first love and true devotion to Him.
* Repent of tolerating sin or spiritual deadness in the life of the Church in Australia.
Admission of Lies and Discrimination Against Women’s Rights Advocate
The agenda of a Hobart City Council Special Council Meeting has been published and has proved to be an account of the appalling treatment of Councillor Louise Elliot after she attempted to book the Town Hall for a women’s rights event. The CEO and Council have acknowledged that they lied to and discriminated against Louise and have issued an apology as well as an undisclosed compensation payout.
The report of the special council meeting was issued by the CEO. It details the order of events. It finds that:
– Louise’s request to book the Town Hall Ballroom was deliberately blocked without due process.
– Louise Elliot was lied to when she was told that the Town Hall Ballroom was not available on the dates she requested for here event.
– Louise Elliot’s RTI process was stifled on the basis that her request for a booking had not been rejected when in fact it had, and
– Louise Elliot was denied an opportunity to provide more information about the nature of her event so that an appropriate risk assessment could be undertaken.
The report also states that the conduct of the CEO and Council was “appalling behaviour and a clear breach of law. It is unacceptable that any woman must suffer for merely speaking up for female sex-based rights, spaces, services, or sport.”
Please pray:
“Justice is beaten back; righteousness is banished to the sidelines” Isaiah 59:14 MSG
* Pray for the Hobart City Council and its CEO. Pray that the apology offered, whether or not heart-felt by all, truly does change the way they conduct themselves.
* Pray for Councilor Louise Elliot, asking Jesus to be close to her and protect her. May she receive the respect she is due and may her courage in standing for justice and righteousness be an example to many.
* Pray for Australia, where daily we hear of “justice being beaten back and righteousness being banished to the sidelines”. Thank the Lord for people such as Louise Elliot and the many more like her. Thank Him too that His justice and His righteousness and His compassion are eternal.
Praying for Issues in the News
* With the result of the American election now known please pray for the impact it will have on our own nation. Pray that the response of our government will be appropriate and the alliance we enjoy with America will be strengthened and not devalued.
* Multiple former immigration detainees who have been facing up to 5 years imprisonment over visa breaches are now expected to walk free in the wake of the High Court’s latest decision that curfews and the wearing of ankle monitors are unconstitutional. This decision now means that a significant number of criminals will be allowed to roam our streets without being able to be properly monitored. Please pray that our Federal Government will respond be this latest court decision with new laws that will allow proper monitoring of detainees who have committed crimes in Australia so that Australians can feel safe and be protected in our own country.
Praying for our Nation
In our justice system today, there is no defined right and wrong in the interpretation of the law and so justice is not seen. There is no consistency; it depends on whether an individual judge seeks the wisdom of man or the wisdom of God. Let us pray that God will determine the future appointment of judges and that decisions will not be based on individual opinions but will be guided by biblical values upon which the law is based.
Luke 18: 2-5, James 2: 5-13
Source: Australian Prayer Network
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